301 W. Oregon St, The Frank A. Somers House

Architectural Description

301 W. Oregon was built in 1903 and in the Colonial Revival architectural style. The house is one and a half stories with a hipped roof with flared eaves. The main façade of the house is asymmetrical, which was uncommon for Colonial Revival houses. This style Colonial Revival house has several Queen Anne influences.

The house has white horizontal wood siding, vertical trim accents at the corners, and a red brick foundation. Several types of windows were used, including a bay window, two dormer windows, and several casement windows. The bay window, which is divided into three parts, has decorative diamond-patterned plate glass in the upper panes, and a curved central pane. The two dormer windows also have hipped roofs with wide, overhanging eaves. The dormers have flared walls and have pairs of double-hung windows. Several of the casement windows also have diamond-patterned plate glass in the upper panes. The recessed exterior porch is supported by large classical columns of the Ionic order and has a simple square post balustrade. The columns support a simple classical entablature below the cornice.

Historical Description

According to Mathilda Hill, who lived at 303 W. Oregon for her entire life, 301 W. Oregon was built in 1903 as a "honeymoon cottage" for Frank Somers and his wife Aurora. The house currently located at the rear of the lot, facing Cedar St., was owned by Mr. Somers' father and was the original house on the lot. According to local stories, Mr. Somers' moved the home to the rear of the lot because the sounds of horse hooves early in the morning (for ice delivery) disturbed his sleep.